Can Social Security Be Fixed Or Has That Ship Sailed?

GoodEnuff said:
When I think of cuts to SS benefits, I doubt that will happen no matter what. Think of the votes lost from seniors if that happened.

What would save SS? Perhaps raise the tax limit on workers, raise the benefit age (again), and establish an income cap. Why should the rich collect SS?
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I hope you're right about nothing happening to social security. If they do make ss cuts (which I hope they don't), I hope they grandfather people in who have been getting it, so they don't have to take a pay cut. There's a lot of people that have calculated their ss in, in their monthly budget.
 
retiredtraveler said:
".....Social Security fraud costs the federal government billions of dollars each year in improper payments, and the enforcement response is substantial. Between fiscal years 2015 and 2022, the Social Security Administration estimated it made nearly $72 billion in improper payments across its programs, and its uncollected overpayment balance stood at $23 billion by the end of FY 2023....".
I have a different idea of 'efficiency', and this ain't it. What was saving SS were the undocumented immigrants paying into SS and not ever going to collect.
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So, over a seven year period, SS made nearly $72 billion in improper payments, which is about $10 billion a year. SS issues over a trillion dollars in payments annually, so $10 billion out of a trillion dollars, which is about one percent.

That's fairly efficient.

Now, let's take a look at defense spending...

The agency could not account for over 60% of its assets in recent years, meaning hundreds of billions are essentially untracked in bureaucratic "black holes".
  • In September 2025, the DOD spent a record $93.4 billion in a single month—including $50 billion in the last five days.
  • Luxury Food Items: This spree included $15.1 million for ribeye steak, $6.9 million for lobster tails, and $2 million for Alaskan king crab.
The most significant long-term waste typically involves massive procurement programs.
  • F-35 Program: Originally budgeted at $200 billion, its lifetime cost has soared to an estimated $1.7 trillion, despite hundreds of unresolved design flaws.
  • Congressional "Pork": Watchdogs noted that the 2026 defense budget includes over $52 billion for items the Pentagon did not even request, such as unneeded Apache helicopters and obsolete drones.
That's ridiculously inefficient!
 
TeePee said:
I hope you're right about nothing happening to social security. If they do make ss cuts (which I hope they don't), I hope they grandfather people in who have been getting it, so they don't have to take a pay cut. There's a lot of people that have calculated their ss in, in their monthly budget.
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I read early one in more than one article that there will be no grandfathering. Everybody will see their SS cut.
 
I dont know what the solution will be. I agree with raising the upper income cap. I disagree with raising the age.
This is just a subtle way to lower benefits since you cant work forever even if you want to.
Besides how will young people find jobs if nobody retires.

One thing I do know is that a whole LOT of people rely totally on SS to get by.
If they reduce payments that will throw a whole new set of us into that level that qualifies for subsidized housing and all that stuff.
Im not familiar with these programs but Im guessing they are already stretched thin.
 
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